Melody's Christmas Wish
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: When Ariel loses her voice two weeks before she is supposed to sing for a Christmas Day celebration, Melody believes Christmas will be ruined unless her mother gets her voice back. R/R
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own anyone you don't recognize.

God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: This is going to be my Christmas story for this year. I hope everyone likes it. There's def going to be more where this came from, so don't' worry!

"Melody's Christmas Wish"

Chapter 1

Eight-year-old Melody Noelle Coralsen grinned as the familiar sound of her mother singing met her ears. She was practicing for a celebration she had been asked to sing for on Christmas day.

It was called the festival of lights.

Several people from the church the Coralsens' attended were helping in it.

They had asked Ariel to sing for it because they knew she wouldn't disappoint them.

As Melody listened to the last few notes fade, she grinned. She loved hearing her mother sing. She especially loved it when she sung to her at bedtime or whenever she was afraid or sick. It always helped her feel better, no matter what was going on.

As Melody finished the last of her math homework, her mind started wandering to the holiday plans with her family.

Ariel was taking her down to Atlantica to see King Triton and her aunts the day after Christmas.

As for any other plans, Eric's sister and brother-in-law, along with their two daughters were coming over Christmas Eve night.

And of course, Christmas Day was the festival of lights.

Melody couldn't wait to see it. She was excited to hear her mother sing for it.

Ariel entered the kitchen just then. She gave Melody's shoulder a pat and stopped to give her a kiss.

"You sounded awesome, Mom!" Melody commented.

Ariel giggled.

"Thanks, sweetheart. Let's just hope everyone attending the festival feels the same way."

"They're nuts if they don't." Melody declared with eight-year-old reasoning.

"Melody." She said gently.

"What?" Her daughter asked.

Ariel shook her head.

Melody spoke a few minutes later.

"You don't have to sing to me until the festival's over."

"Why wouldn't I sing to you?" Ariel asked. She got down on her daughter's level and squeezed her hand.

Melody shrugged.

"I don't want you to strain your voice."

"Aw, you're so sweet." Ariel said as she embraced her. "But I promise you, Mel. Me singing you "In Harmony" or "Just a Little Love" once a night is not going to hurt my voice. I love singing to you. You know that."

"I know. But… " Melody's voice trailed off as she felt Ariel lift her chin so she was looking into her blue eyes.

"No buts, sweetie. I love singing to you and I'll do it any time you need me to."

"Okay. " Melody said.

"Aw, that's my girl. Now, why don't you help me make dinner?" Ariel suggested.

"Okay!" Melody readily agreed. She loved cooking with her mother.

Later that night, Ariel tucked Melody in bed and sat beside her. She took her daughter into her arms and started stroking her hair.

"Aw, there you go." She said just before she coughed. "What do you want me to sing?"

Melody frowned when she heard her mother cough. It was only once, but once was enough.

"Mom.." She started.

"Melody, it's okay." Ariel assured her. "It was only one cough. That doesn't mean anything. Now, what would you like me to sing to you?" She asked. Then seeing Melody's worried look she added, "It's okay."

Melody hesitated slightly before answering her mother's question.

"In Harmony." She finally said reluctantly.

"You got it, sweetheart." With that, she started to sing the song her daughter requested.

Once she was done, she kissed Melody's cheek and stayed with her for a few minutes.

"There. See? I'm fine. I love you, Melody. Sweet dreams, honey. I'll see you in the morning."

"I love you too." Melody replied just before she fell asleep. With that, she closed her eyes and was asleep in minutes.

Melody awoke with a start a few hours later. She sat bolt upright and let out a scream.

"Mom! No!" She yelled in fear.

Ariel heard her daughter's scream of terror and was in her room I minutes.

Rushing to her side, she put a hand on her shoulder to try and soothe her.

"Melody? It's okay." She assured her. "What happened, honey? Did you have a bad dream?"

Melody nodded as the tears spilled forth from her brown eyes.

"Okay. It's all right. Mommy's right here. I'm right here, honey." With that, Ariel took her shaking and sobbing daughter into her arms. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

It took Melody a few minutes to calm down.

When she finally did, her answer came out in a tearful whimper.

"You…you lost your voice again!" She told her mother. "Ursula took it again for good!"

"Aw, Melody, sweetheart. Ursula's gone for good, honey. She can't hurt anyone anymore. I promise you, I'm fine."

Just as she finished her sentence, she coughed twice.

Melody shook her head and let out a sob of distress.

"Melody?" Ariel said softly. "Honey, look at Mommy." She instructed kindly.

Melody did so, her eyes full of worry and tears.

"I'm telling you, nothing's going to happen."

"You can't promise that!" Melody argued.

"I know. " Ariel said honestly. "But what I can promise you is that we're all in God's care and He will take care of us, no matter what."

Melody knew this was true, but she was still afraid for her mother.

"Mom, please!" She cried suddenly. "Rest your voice for the festival. Promise me. I don't want you to…" Her voice trailed off as more tears came. "Please!"

Ariel sighed. She knew she had to calm Melody down and quickly. She also knew it was getting late and they both needed their rest.

Thinking quickly, Ariel did the only thing she could think of and started to sing.

Despite the fact that Melody started crying harder at the familiar sound, she started to calm immediately.

"That's my girl." Ariel said after she was done signing the lullaby for the second time. "Shah, it's okay."

It was then that realization ht.

"Melody, I know my singing is a source of comfort for you. I know that, sweetheart. I know it's been a constant for you and it's helped you many times. We're not going to lose that part of our relationship. Now, we both need to get some sleep. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep." She told her.

"Can I stay here with you?" Melody asked.

"You never have to ask, Mel. " Ariel told her softly. "You never have to ask. I love you, honey."

"I love you too, Mom." Melody said as she fell asleep.

Ariel stayed with her daughter for the rest of the night. She could tell Melody was genuinely afraid and worried for her and she wanted to do everything she could to help her through it.

Throughout the next few days, Ariel tired her best to keep her promise to Melody. She didn't sing unless she was practicing for the festival.

The only exception was at night when she would sing to Melody.

She only sung one song at Melody's insistence.

It wasn't until that Friday that Melody became certain that something terrible was happening.

Melody was home from school due to an allergy attack. She was currently lying in bed, waiting for Ariel to bring her some medicine and a drink of juice.

Once Melody had taken the medicine and had drunken some juice, Ariel sat beside her bed and started stroking her hair.

Instead of asking her what she wanted her to sing, she just started singing "Daring to Dance."

"Mom, no!" Melody cried suddenly.

Ariel raised her eyebrow in a way that told Melody she needed to rephrase her statement.

"Mom, please." Melody begged, almost bursting into tears.

Ariel just hushed her gently and continued to sing.

As she finished the song, she stopped and started to cough. It wasn't just once or even twice, but three times.

Melody was on the verge of tears now and Ariel could tell.

"It's okay, sweetie." She assured her. "Let me finish this and I promise I'll stop for the night."

Sebastian poked his head in the room.

"De girl has a point." He said.

Ariel ignored him.

"Mom, please!" Melody cried as the tears started.

"I want to finish it for you." She insisted. "It's okay."

But by the time she had reached the last note, it was clear that things weren't okay.

"Ariel, as your friend and your former music teacher, I'm telling you, stop."

Ariel glared at him before turning her attention to her now sobbing daughter.

"Sebastian, would you mind leaving us alone for a minute? Please?"

Sebastian sighed, but did so. He had a feeling arguing with Ariel at this point would do more harm than good.

Once Sebastian was gone, Ariel concentrated on helping Melody calm down.

Her breathing was starting to become labored and that wasn't' good for her on the allergy front.

"Melody," she said softly. "It's okay. Don't listen to Sebastian. He's just…"

"He's right!" She insisted.

"I'll give you that he's right some of the time. But I don't think he is in this case."

Melody wasn't so sure.

Ariel stayed with her until she fell asleep.

Once she was out, Ariel left the room to go deal with Sebastian.

She found him tuning the piano in the music room.

"What in Atlantica was that about?" She demanded the second she saw him.

"Dat was me trying to save you form yourself." He replied. "You're stubborn, just like dat daughter of yours. Only right now, she's making' more sense."

Sebastian, I'm fine." Ariel insisted.

"You're fine, hmm? Well if you're fine den…never mind."

"What? I'll do it."

Sebastian hesitated before playing a scale Ariel knew well.

She did fine until the third to last note.

As she started coughing, Sebastian gave her a look.

"See? My point exactly. You are not fine. And de sooner you realize dat de sooner tings can go back to normal around here. You need to get checked by a doctor. But above all, you must rest your voice."

"I don't nee to see a doctor." She insisted.

"We'll see what Eric tinks about dat."

"We'll see what Eric thinks about what?" He asked as he came up behind his wife. "What are you two arguing about now?"

"Your wife is stubborn."

"I love her anyway." He said.

"She won't listen to me. Maybe she'll listen to you."

"I'm still confused." Eric admitted. "What's going on?"

Ariel sighed.

"Sebastian think I'm losing my voice." She said.

"It doesn't sound like it to me." He observed.

"I tink I'm losing my mind." Sebastian stated dryly.

Both Ariel and Eric ignored him.

Just then, Melody woke up and called for Ariel.

"I'll be right there!" Ariel called back.

"Ariel, I'm begging you. Whatever you do, don't sing."

Ariel glared at him as she left the room.

Getting to Melody's room, she found her daughter awake and looking rather flushed. The covers were half off and she looked miserable.

"Are you and Sebastian fighting because of me?" She asked.

"No. Mel, what would make you think that?" Ariel asked as she sat down on the bed.

"I heard you." She admitted. "That's what woke me up."

"I'm sorry. Sebastian does have a big mouth."

"I heard you too." She admitted. "Why did he have you do the aah-aah scale?"

"To prove me wrong." She answered.

"Mom."

"Melody, I'm okay." She stated firmly.

Melody shook her head.

"You don't get it." She said. "If you don't sing at the festival, Christmas will be ruined this year." Then she added in a whisper, "At least for me."

"Aw, honey, listen. You need to stop worrying about this. I'm fine. If it'll make you feel better, I'll take it easy on the singing. But that means I won't be able to sing to you to sleep as often. Are you gonna be okay with that?"

Melody's head was saying yes, but her heart was screaming no.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. It's not like it's forever."

"Melody, look at me." She said.

Once Melody had locked eyes with her mother, she nodded as strongly as she could.

"I'll be okay." She said.

"All right. But if you change your mind, let me know."

Melody nodded. Although she knew deep down in her heart that she couldn't do that.

Even if she couldn't sleep until the festival was over, she wouldn't be the reason her mother wouldn't be able to sing at the festival. She was certain of that.

"I love you, honey." Ariel told her while brushing a few strands of hair out of her face.

"I love you too." Melody replied.

"Are you hungry for dinner?"

"Not really." The little girl admitted.

"Daddy's cooking tonight." Ariel informed her. "If that helps."

Melody thought for a minute before shaking her head.

"Okay. I'll check on you in a little while. I'm gonna make a special request for dinner tomorrow."

Melody giggled despite herself. She knew her mother would never through with it.

"You wouldn't dare." She said.

"You're right. But that doesn't' mean Sebastian has to know that. Hmm?"

"I won't say a word." Melody promised.

Ariel winked at her before leaving the room so her daughter could rest.

"So is Melody eating?" Eric asked as he set a place for Carlotta and Grim.

Ariel shook her head.

"She said she wasn't hungry." She reported. "I'm afraid she's gonna make herself sick over this."

Eric sighed.

"Well at least you know she loves you." He consoled. "That's something, right?"

"Yeah. But I don't want her worrying so much."

"She'll be fine once the festival is over." He said as he set the vegetable casserole and pasta on the table.

"I hope you're right."

Eric smiled as he embraced her before their lips met in a passionate kiss.

"You know I am." He said. "Trust me." With that, they sat down to dinner.

Later that night, Ariel tucked Melody in as usual. She stayed with her until she fell asleep. True to her word, as painful as it was for her, she didn't sing.

After Melody appeared to be asleep, Ariel left the room.

Returning to the bedroom she shared with Eric, he gave her a worried look.

"Don't' you start to." She warned.

Eric threw his hands up in defense.

"I wasn't. " He said. 'I was going to ask if Melody got to sleep al light."

"Yeah." Ariel said. "She's fine."

"Ariel?" Eric asked.

Ariel shook her head.

"I made her a promise and I intend to keep it."

Even so, she blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Ariel." Eric said knowingly. "Come here."

Ariel let Eric hold her, but she still fought with her emotions.

"It's okay to let go every once in a while." He told her. "Some would even call it normal."

"Tonight wasn't normal." She retorted. "I've never not sung to Melody. I've sung to her ever since she was born. I even sang to her before she was born. "

Eric smiled despite the situation. He recalled the first time Melody had started teething.

She was up nearly all night and Ariel was up with her.

She wouldn't leave her side and she just kept singing song after song to her in an effort to soothe the pain.

"I can't do this to her!" Ariel suddenly blurted. "I have to fix this."

"Honey, there's nothing to fix." Eric tried to reason. "Melody will survive. She'll be fine."

"You don't understand." Ariel said with a hint of frustration. She broke away from Eric and walked towards their balcony.

"Then help me to understand." He said.

"It's not that easy." She said just as she coughed. "My singing has always been a constant for her. It helped her recover from her accident, it brought her out of the coma… I just want her to know I'll always be there."

"She does. " Eric assured her. "Now, please, try to relax. You're making a mountain out of a mole hill."  
"What's a mole hill?" Ariel asked.

Eric chuckled, realizing what he had said.

"I'll tell you later." He said.

"I'm gonna check on her."

"Ariel, please." He pleaded. "You need your rest and so do I. You'll see Melody in the morning."

Ariel sighed, but got into bed anyway.

Still, as she cuddled up to her husband, she couldn't help but worry about the days ahead…

Meanwhile, down the hall, Melody was tossing and turning. She had been trying to get to sleep now for the past hour, but nothing seemed to work.

Heaving a sigh, she turned on her lamp and pulled one of her Stable Cove books out.

But not even her favorite horse stories could offer any sense of comfort.

She knew deep down in her heart what would help her get to sleep, but she also knew she couldn't ask for it. It wasn't that her mother would refuse, but Melody wasn't about to do that to her.

Meanwhile, back in Ariel and Eric's bedroom, Ariel was having trouble sleeping herself.

Not wanting to wake Eric, she got out of bed and made her way down the hall to Melody's room.

Peeking inside, she was surprised to find her awake.

"Melody? What are you doing up?" She asked, coming into the room. "Are you okay?"

Melody glanced up and met her mother's concerned gaze.

"Yeah. I…I couldn't sleep." She admitted.

Ariel sighed. She was determined to fix this before midnight.

"Come here." She beckoned. She held her arms out and Melody wasted no time in finding solace in them.

Ariel started humming softly.

When Melody didn't protest, she started to sing the song.

Melody didn't protest this time only because she was soon fast asleep.

"I love you, sweetheart." Ariel whispered as she tucked her back in. "I'll see you in the morning." With that, she returned to bed…


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own anyone you don't recognize.

God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope everyone likes it!

"Melody's Christmas Wish"

Chapter 2

The next day, Ariel awoke to sun streaming into the window of her and Eric's bedroom.

Smiling to herself, she sat up before getting out of bed. She got ready for the day before going outside for a few minutes.

She loved spending time near the ocean every morning. It made her feel closer to her father and sisters.

Sitting down on the bench that overlooked the beach and sea, Ariel let the sea breeze caress her face.

She opened her mouth to practice her song for the festival and was surprised when no sound came out.

All she could manage was a cough or two, but that was it. She couldn't even whisper!

Forcing herself not to panic, Ariel tried to remain calm. She knew it wasn't due to magic this time. This was a relief in itself.

However, she had a feeling Melody would not see it the same way.

Just then, Sebastian came out of the house.

"Ah, girl. Isn't it a fantastic morning?"

Figuring Ariel was lost in thought, he waited for her to answer him.

When she didn't respond after a minute or so, he decided to try again.

"Look, child, I said what I said yesterday because I care."

Still, Ariel didn't answer.

"Ariel?" Sebastian asked. "What's de matter with you?"

Ariel didn't want to startle him, but she had no choice. She didn't want him thinking she was mad at him and she had to give him some type of sign that she was okay.

Turning around, she shook her head and pointed to her throat.

Sebastian gasped. He didn't need to be at the top of sign language class to know what that meant.

"Oh no. Not again!"

Ariel shook her head frantically to assure him it wasn't anything like that.

She signed something else and he scoffed.

"Calm down? You expect me to calm down after…I told you dis would happen."

"There you are. " Eric said as he came out of the bedroom. "I was wondering where you were. Melody said you hadn't gone to wake her up. She's downstairs eating breakfast. Ariel?"

Sebastian couldn't hold it back any longer.

"We got a problem, mun. A big one!"

Eric rolled his eyes.

"What happened now?" He asked.

"Ariel lost her voice! Again! Aw mun, I knew I should have stayed back home. At least dere I wouldn't' have to worry about having a nervous breakdown."

Eric did a double take as Sebastian's words sank in.

Thankfully, he didn't panic.

"Well at least we have one thing on our side that we didn't have the first time around."

"What's dat?" Sebastian asked.

"Sign language." Eric replied. "We didn't have that option before."

"You say dat like it solves everyting. She has to sing in two weeks!"

"Hopefully, it won't last too long. " He said, trying to look on the bright side.

Just then, Melody joined them.

"Dad, I think Max got into the marshmallows again." She reported.

"What makes you say that, honey?" He asked.

"They're all over the floor." She replied as though it were obvious.

"I'll take care of him." He said. "You stay here with Mommy."

"Okay."

Ariel shook her head and threw Eric a glare.

After Eric was gone, Melody noticed Sebastian looked more frazzled than usual.

"What's with you?" She asked.

Ariel shook her head frantically, but she knew there was no stopping him if he chose to tell Melody the truth.

"Your mudder has a bit of a problem."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Dere's no beating around de seaweed bush with dis one. So I'm just gonna come right out and say it. Your mudder lost her voice."

Melody shook her head as though willing Sebastian's words not to be true.

"No." She said as her voice shook. "No! It can't be true!"

"Have I Ever lied to you, girl?"

Melody ignored him.

"But she was fine last night when she…" Her voice trailed off as realization hit.

"What is it?" He asked.

"She sung to me last night." Melody said.

Sebastian knew where this was going and he tried to head it off.

He was about to say something when Melody turned around and ran back in the house.

Ariel made to go after her, but Sebastian stopped her.

"Just leave her be for now." He advised. "Let Eric handle dis one."

Ariel sighed. she knew Sebastian spoke the truth.

Even so, her heart was breaking for her daughter.

Sebastian sighed.

"At least dere's none good ting dat came out of dis."

Ariel gave him a questioning look.

"We don't' have to tell your fada. It'll keep me out of de oven dis Christmas Eve. Den again, if Louie has his way…"

Ariel shook her head as she reached her hands out and Sebastian hopped into them.

M

E

Meanwhile, back in the house, Eric was standing outside of Melody's bedroom door.

Pushing open the door, he found Melody sitting at her window, staring out at the ocean.

He could tell she was crying by the way her shoulders were shaking.

Walking over to her, he laid a hand on her right shoulder and was relieved when she didn't pull away.

Their recent father/daughter experience which had resulted in them getting lost a few miles form Atlantica had brought them closer.

It was just something about seeing her father defend her from the Sharkaians that made Melody admire him all the more.

He opened his mouth to say something, he almost called her 'Mel by accident, but caught himself just in time. He knew that wouldn't go over well, even if it was an accident.

"Sweetie, I know you're upset." He started. "But-" His sentence was interrupted by a crash at the window.

"Sorry about that, kiddo." Scuttle said as he squeezed through the window. "I missed the turn. They must have taken down the….what's going on around here? Where's Ariel at? I thought I'd hear Ariel practicing for the festival thingy. By the way, I saw the tree on my way over here. Ain't she a beauty?"

"It's still standing, right?" Eric asked, afraid to know the answer.

"Let's see. The last time I checked, it was right side up again."

"Again?" He asked.

"Dad, don't ask." Melody cautioned him. "You'll only get a headache."

Eric nodded. He had a feeling Melody was telling the truth in this case…


End file.
